Capacitive sensors take human body capacitance as input. For example, tablet or mobile devices may use capacitive touchscreens as input devices for detecting a human finger. Electronic devices, such as televisions, may also use capacitive sensors in place of mechanical buttons. Passive styli that are conductive may be used with capacitive touchscreens, e.g. in place of, or in addition to, a human finger; however, the use of a passive stylus may not provide any additional input functionality than the use of a human finger. An active stylus may be configured to transmit electrical signals to, and/or receive electrical signals from, a capacitive touchscreen, e.g. via a built-in digitizer. Thus, an active stylus may be able to provide advanced input functionality over a passive stylus, such as by providing a hover mode where the active stylus can be detected by a capacitive touchscreen while hovering over, but not touching, the capacitive touchscreen.